'I needed wake up call after my unhappy marriage - I deserve to be myself again'

A woman who used her divorce as a 'wake up call' has transformed her life. Supermarket worker Vanessa Booth found herself comfort eating following her marriage.

At her heaviest, the 33-year-old weighed 16st 1lbs and wore a size 18. But since the divorce, Vanessa made changes to her life which saw her gain the 'ultimate revenge body'.

She lost 8st by walking three miles a day and swapping takeaways for home-cooked meals. Vanessa now 'feels herself' again - and after meeting a new partner last March, she recently welcomed their newborn son.

READ MORE: Stunning tearoom is perfect pit stop after spring walk in Greater Manchester's 'Little Lake District'

Vanessa, from Nottingham, said: "I had put on weight because I was comfortable. I thought I was happy.

"I was happy at first. We moved in together, bought a house. As the years went on it became an unhappy marriage. Things changed.

"I wasn't happy with myself anyway. I just needed that wake up call. It feels amazing. I have got more confidence and I am becoming more myself than I was before.”

Vanessa struggled with her weight during her marriage when she got 'comfortable'. She would snack on chocolate, cake and crisps in the evening and would order a takeaway three nights a week for dinner.

Vanessa said: "I was very unhealthy. I wasn't happy. I'd look in the mirror and I wouldn't feel right. I always covered up. I never wore anything bright. I'd just hide myself."

The break down of her marriage in August 2020 gave Vanessa the 'wake up call' to do something about her lifestyle. She joined her local Slimming World at the end of the same month and began to make changes to her diet by following their plan.

Vanessa switched to low carb options and started cooking more from